Imagine waking up just as surgeons were preparing to harvest your organs for donation. That is what happened to 41-year-old Colleen Burns of Syracuse, New York.<\/p>\n
In 2009, Burns overdosed on a near fatal mixture of drugs. On arrival in the emergency ward of St. Joseph\u2019s Hospital Health Centre, she was suffering from violent seizures. The ER staff called for an emergency EEG and, over a period of several hours, determined that she had a poor prognosis for survival. The family was asked if they wished to consider withdrawing life support. Given the likelihood that their daughter would not survive her overdose, they agreed to donate her organs.<\/p>\n
Just as the operation was beginning, Burns awoke on the table as several surgeons prepared to excise various vital organs. The symptoms of a drug overdose may mimic those of brain damage. But, as was found when a close inspection was made of hospital records, (more…)<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Imagine waking up just as surgeons were preparing to harvest your organs for donation. That is what happened to 41-year-old Colleen Burns of Syracuse, New York. In 2009, Burns overdosed on a near fatal mixture of drugs. On arrival in…<\/span><\/p>\n